Breakfast Burritos

These breakfast burritos–eggs, cheese, potatoes, bacon, and salsa wrapped in flour tortilla–are fast, healthy, able to feed a crowd, easy to stash in the freezer, and quick to reheat. Take them on the go, to work or to school, weekday mornings.

Breakfast burritos. Perfect when you’re caught in the eternal rush to get out the door each morning, because having a relatively healthy breakfast that tides everyone over until lunchtime makes everything better. Loaded with potatoes, bacon, scrambled eggs, salsa, and cheese, it’s pretty darn close to perfect. The best part? It can be made ahead and stashed in the freezer so all you have to do in the morning is reheat and go. [Editor’s Note: For more make-ahead, freezer-friendly brilliance, invest in the author’s Fast To The Table Freezer Cookbook, which we lauded as one of the best cookbooks of the month.] There’s no need to follow the recipe exactly. You can freestyle your breakfast burrito as you wish, adding more bacon or substituting chorizo or swapping in a different kind of cheese or stirring in some sautéed onions or using a few dashes hot sauce in place of the salsa or, well, you get the idea. Originally published September 12, 2016.–Renee Schettler Rossi

Directions

1. Place the diced potatoes in a large pot of water and then bring them to a boil. Cook until tender but not falling apart, about 4 minutes from the time the water comes to a boil. Drain the potatoes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, fry the bacon until crisp. Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour off half the bacon drippings from the skillet and reserve for another use.

3. Return the skillet with the bacon drippings to medium-high heat. Add the potatoes to the skillet and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) salt. Cook the potatoes, stirring only occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the edges start to brown and crisp.

4. While the potatoes are frying, whisk the eggs. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

5. When the potatoes are done, transfer them to a large bowl. Add a little more oil to the skillet, if necessary, and then pour in the whisked eggs. Place over medium heat and scramble the eggs to the desired doneness. Gently dump the scrambled eggs into the bowl containing the potatoes. Add the salsa or enchilada sauce and crumbled bacon and gently toss to combine.

6. Set up your burrito-rolling station with a small bowl of water, a bowl of shredded cheese, and the big bowl of egg and potatoes. Start by heating the tortillas, 1 at a time, by placing them in a hot, dry skillet for 30 seconds per side. Toss the tortilla on a flat surface, scoop 1/2 cup or more of the egg and potato mixture onto the heated tortilla, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons shredded cheese. Then form the burrito by folding the 2 sides of the tortilla in over the filling and then tightly rolling the tortilla up from the unfolded edge over the filling and into a cylinder. To get a good seal on the bottom edge of the tortilla, dip your fingertips in the water and paint a little water near the edge of the tortilla before completing the rolling and then press gently. (The author likes to fill and wrap one burrito as the next tortilla is heating, but in order to pull this off you need to work quickly and be careful not to burn your tortillas.)

7. Serve immediately or freeze for later. To freeze the breakfast burritos: Place the burritos in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet on a level shelf in the freezer and forget about the burritos until they’re frozen solid, at least 4 hours. Wrap each frozen burrito individually in plastic wrap and place them in a large, freezer-safe, resealable plastic bag. Store in the freezer until ready to use. To reheat the breakfast burritos: Unwrap the burritos and place them on a paper towel in the microwave. Heat on high for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, flipping once halfway through reheating. If you prefer a crisp tortilla, after microwaving the burrito, place it in a small skillet over medium-high heat and toast for 20 to 30 seconds per side. (This extra step is well worth the little effort!)

Recipe Testers Reviews

I like this breakfast burritos recipe. By varying the salsa, you can have many different flavors. You could also conceivably vary the potatoes (sweet potatoes), vary the bacon (turkey or vegetarian), and vary the type of cheese. This was fun and easy.

I used one pan to cook everything that goes into these breakfast burritos and the directions made everything very easy. It was so simple that the second time I made the burritos, I didn't have to look at the recipe at all. Great taste. My guests said they would add more enchilada sauce or salsa next time but these are fine just as it is. And they're just as good reheated! I doubled the amount of potatoes and cooked them on the stove for 15 minutes. I saved the other half and made a second batch of burritos a few days later. They turned out great.

I love a good breakfast burrito and really enjoyed the tips given in this recipe. When it comes to breakfast potatoes, we usually cube and pan fry a cold leftover baked potato, or just cube and soak raw potato in water and then drain it before cooking it in a skillet. I absolutely loved the method of the pre boil because it helps remove the starch from the potatoes, similar to a soaking of raw cubed potatoes, and it really does speed up the cooking time. Win! One note: I love adding Montreal Steak seasoning to my breakfast potatoes while cooking, a trick I learned from one of my favorite breakfast restaurants. I happened to have some green onions on hand and when I do I usually thinly slice them and add them to the potatoes during the last 5 minutes of cooking. For the bacon, I baked it on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan but still used some of the bacon grease to cook the potatoes. This worked well for me as I really dislike cooking bacon in a skillet. The assembly of the burritos was easy and we really enjoyed our breakfast this morning. I like the idea of freezing extra breakfast burritos, but we didn't make enough to freeze, we only made enough for one breakfast burrito per family member. Sour cream and sliced avocado were some of the extras we added. And a sprinkle of Crystal Brand Hot Sauce in addition to salsa. YUM!

Comments

We use southern style frozen hash browns for these. It cuts out the chopping and boiling steps. Left over cheesy potatoes also work great. If you are assembling to freeze, just add them cold. If you want to eat them right away, heat the potatoes in the microwave. Either of these short cuts make a good recipe even easier.

I love the frozen hash browns idea, Linda. My dad used to take them, canned corned beef, and onions on camping/hunting trips. He’d chop the onions, break up the corned beef and hash browns with a fork, and then cook them all together over a campfire. Whether it was topped with a fried egg or not, I still have delicious memories. My mom wouldn’t have frozen hash browns in the house, but she gobbled Dad’s camp-style corned beef hash right along with the rest of us. I’m definitely giving this idea a try. There are so many options to play with. Thanks!

Great tip I learned from Smitten Kitchen, “arrange potatoes in large microwave-safe bowl, top with 1 tablespoon butter, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave on high until edges of potatoes begin to soften, 5 to 7 minutes, shaking bowl (without removing plastic) to redistribute potatoes halfway through cooking.” Much quicker than boiling them and it works great. It’s how I always start my home fries now.

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